Football: Barnstable Super Bowl-bound

TAUNTON — Wintery weather came to Massachusetts Tuesday night, but it didn't slow down the No. 1 football team in the state.

Barnstable is on its way to Gillette Stadium and the Division 1A Super Bowl after a snowy 28-7 throttling of Lincoln-Sudbury at Taunton High School in the Division 1A semifinal playoffs.

Junior Hayden Murphy rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns as the 11-0 Red Raiders not only gained a championship game berth (for the first time since 1999), but also avenged last season's one-point playoff loss to the Warriors (10-2).

"We wanted another piece of this team, ever since we lost to them last year," Murphy said.

The 1A Super Bowl will be a highly anticipated rematch between Barnstable and Everett at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Barnstable beat the then top-ranked Crimson Tide, 13-7, in overtime in September.

Everett routed Masconomet, 42-14, last night.

With conditions making the passing game an iffy proposition — Barnstable quarterback Nick Peabody finished 7 of 23 for 104 yards — the Red Raider ground game with Murphy and Peabody took control.

"Our offensive line manhandled their team," Murphy said. "There were gaping holes and I just hit them.

"We wanted another piece of this team, ever since we lost to them last year," Murphy said.

Barnstable head coach Chris Whidden told his team after the game that Barnstable will now be playing another team (Everett) that thinks its better, and it's the Red Raiders have bought into the no-respect factor.

"It's a four-step process (from the beginning of the season)," said Whidden. "First step, beat Dartmouth. Second one, beat Bridgewater-Raynham. Third is this first-round playoff game, and the fourth is Saturday."

Barnstable's defense was outstanding, keeping Lincoln-Sudbury's physical ground attack in neutral all game. L-S had just one first down in the first half and five in the game, and could muster only 79 yards.

Defensive tackle John Eldredge had an interception on a screen pass and free safety Kevin Hardy added a fourth-quarter pick.

"They stepped up to the challenge," Whidden said of his defense.

"(Lincoln-Sudbury) is a smash-mouth team and our defense just said yeah, we're a smash-mouth defense, too. Then our secondary steps up. We've had lapses through the year, but maybe those tough games have made us the team we are now."

Barnstable dominated the first half, running 46 plays to Lincoln-Sudbury's 16, and while happy with a 14-0 lead, it wasn't completely comfortable.

Putting up two third-quarter touchdowns to stretch the lead to 28-0 eased any concerns.

"We were up by two touchdowns at halftime, the exact same as last year," Whidden said. "The kids recognized that real quick, and that made it easy to keep the throttle down and never let up."

Barnstable took the opening kick and marched from its 33 to the L-S 2, but the drive stalled at the 4. Ten of the 13 plays were runs, and though there weren't any points scored, the tone was set.

"It proves we don't have selfish players on offense," Whidden said. "We're going to give whoever has to have the ball the ball. Tedaro (France) is usually our biggest weapon on offense and had only a few touches. Dylan (Morris) had one big catch, but not a whole lot more than that. Whatever it takes, we're going to do it to win."

Barnstable's defense did the job, forcing L-S to punt from its own 7. The snap went over the punter's head and out of the end zone, and the safety put Barnstable on top 2-0.

The Raiders took the free kick and marched 52 yards in just for plays for their first touchdown. Murphy covered the final yards on a burst up the middle for an 8-0 lead.

Barnstable had a 41-yard scoring drive in the second quarter. The Red Raiders were lined up to punt on fourth-and-8 from the L-S 39, but the Warriors jumped offside. Barnstable then converted on fourth-and-3 on a Peabody 4-yard keeper, and Murphy covered the final 13 yards for a 14-0 advantage.

It seemed like the lead could have been much more, and memories of last year's wasted 13-0 halftime edge were forefront.

But Barnstable then put together a 72-yard scoring drive on its first possession of the third quarter to quell those concerns. Murphy gained 10 yards on a fourth-and-1 to keep the drive moving. Peabody capped it with a 1-yard sneak, and Dereck Pacheco's extra point — he was 2-for-2 — upped the score to 21-0.

The Barnstable offensive line — Owen Murray, Tom Harrington, Tom Grimmer, Chris Kennedy and Allen Buckley — manhandled Lincoln-Sudbury, and it wasn't just the weather that kept Peabody handing off to Murphy.

"It was the looks they were giving us," Whidden said. "Early on we were having success with it. Hayden was obviously running hard and the offensive line was getting to their blocks. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Lincoln-Sudbury turned it over one play later — an Eldredge interception of a screen pass set Barnstable up at the Warrior 18.

A pass interference penalty moved the ball to the 3, and two Murphy runs pushed the ball into the end zone. Pacheco's kick made it 28-0.

Fact Box

WHAT'S NEXT

The Red Raiders are going to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1999, when they beat Boston College High. Barnstable plays Everett for the Division 1A championship at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. It'll be a rematch of an early season game when Barnstable won, 13-7, in overtime.